Apparatus for collecting linear material



United States Patent 3,254,850 6/1966 Martin et a1. 242/18 3,273,812 9/1966 Lacasse 242/18X 3,279,904 10/1966 Russell et al. 242/18UX 3,281,224 10/1966 Lowe',Jr 242/18X 3,356,304 12/1967 Genson 242/18 Primary Examiner- Stanley N. Gilreath Assistant Examiner-Werner H. Schroeder Attorneys-Staelin & Overman and Ronald C. Hudgens ABSTRACT: Apparatus for accumulating linear material as individual similar wound packages on collectors with at least two linear materials supplied from spaced locations along different paths relative to their respective collectors and individually engaging the linear material with separate cam means projecting laterally from a common axis with different dimensions to move the material with substantially the same traversing cycle.

APPARATUS FOR COLLECTING LINEAR MATERIAL BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Continuous filamentglass strands may be produced by flowing a plurality of molten streams from a stream-feeding container holding a supply or body of molten glass and then supplying a pulling force to the individual streams sufficient to attenuate them into continuous filaments, which are combined subsequently into a strand. A winder normally packages the strand on a collector such as tube. The collector, telescoped onto the collet of the winder, functions as the attenuating means through high-speed rotation of the collet provided by the winder.

Because of a competitive need for efficient use of filament forming equipment, it became the practice, especially for glass filaments, to to collect more than one strand package on a single winder. Normally two glass strand packages are collected on separate tubes, which are supported on a single winder collet.

Collection of at least two wound packages on a single collet does not avoid the necessity for providing packages of uniform build. In the case of packages formed using strand alignment and strand tension sensitive transversing means, such requirement demands that the transversing means must engage the advancing strands in substantially the same manner. If engagement between the individual strands and transversing means varies among themselves, the ensuing packages will vary in package shape and strand tension within the packages. Such package nonuniformity is not desirable.

Heretofore glass strands at a multiple-strand forming position individually traveled across guide means or secondary shoes, normally located below the sizing station of at least one of the strands to bring each of the strand paths into the same relative disposition with respect to its collectors and thereby provide for the same engagement of each advancing strand with its associated transversing means.

Secondary shoes are not altogether satisfactory as a means for providing the collection of more than one wound package on a winder collet. Because secondary shoes are contact points, the glass filament forming process suffers. Since glass abrades easily, secondary guide shoes tend to break filaments, i.e. raise the fuzz level of the glass strands. Moreover, the contact of the secondary shoes with individual traveling glass strands increases tension in such strands to promote strand breaks. Further, movement of an advancing glass strand over a secondary shoe mechanically works sizing fluid and other moisture from the strand to the detriment of the glass strand itself.

Secondary shoes give rise yet to other process difiiculties. Secondary shoes require sizing having more film forming ingredients and lubricants. Important too is the fact that such shoes require continual aligning to be effective.

Increased processing speeds, especially in production of multifilament glass strands, augments the inhered difficulties using secondary shoes to the point where their use limits processing speeds and quality of the manufactured product.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the invention is improved apparatus for handling the collection of linear material.

Another object of the invention is improved apparatus for simultaneously collecting at least two linear materials into similar packages where the materials travel to their collectors from separate sources along individual paths proceeding by the longitudinal member of a rotary traversing means at different distances and traversing the materials with substantially the same engagement.

Yet another object of the invention is apparatus for simultaneously accumulating at least two linear materials on collectors as similar wound packages from separate locations along individual paths approaching their respective collectors with different relative dispositions and individually traversing each of the linear materials with substantially the same traversing tension induced in the material.

Still another object of the invention is to provide means for collecting at least two similar packages of linear material on rotating collectors without use of secondary shoes.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the invention is described hereinafter in more detail with reference made to the accompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a somewhat diagrammatic front elevation view of the apparatus employed on a winder collecting two packages of continuous filament glass strands at a forming position according to the principles of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of the apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front elevation view of strand traversing means embodying the principles of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS While the invention is particularly valuable in processes for forming filaments of heat-softened mineral material such as glass where the individual continuous filaments are combined to form a strand prior to collection as wound packages, the invention may be used in other forming and manufacturing processes involving the collection of linear material made of other materials. Thus, the use of glass to explain the operation of the invention is by example only, the invention having utility in other linear material processing operation.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show a process for forming continuous glass filaments from heat-softened glass. where the glass filaments are combined into two strands from a stream-feeding container, the strands being simultaneously collected as two similar side-by-side wound packages. FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a container 10 that holds a supply of molten glass. The container 10 may connect to a forehearth that supplies molten glass from a furnace or may connect to a means for supplying glass such as glass marbles that are reduced to a heat-softened condition in a melter or other means associated with the stream-feeding container 10. Located at the ends of the container 10 are terminals 12 that connect to a source of electrical energy to supply heat by conventional resistance heating to glass held in the stream-feeding container 10 to maintain the molten glass at a proper fiber-forming temperature and viscosity. Moreover, the container 10 has a feeder bottom or tip section 14 that includes a plurality of orifices or passageways for delivering streams 16 of the molten glass from the container 10. As shown, the openings in the bottom 14 comprise a plurality of depending orifices projections or tubular members 18.

The molten streams 16 are attenuated into individual continuous glass filaments 20, which are combined into two strands, strand 22 and strand 23, by gathering shoes 24 and 25 respectively located below the container 10. Each of the gathering shoes is disposed laterally of the container 10 on opposite sides. More than one container may be used, the filaments from each container being combined into a strand.

While filaments 20 may be protected only by application of water to them, it is desirable in most instances to apply to them a conventional sizing or other coating material. Nozzles 26 and 27 may be located near the bottom 14 to spray water on the newly formed filaments 20, preferably prior to combining the filaments 20 into the strands 22 and 23.

Applicators 28 and 29 supported within housings 30 and 31 respectively may be provided as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 to apply the sizing or other coating material to the filaments 20. The applicators 28 and 29 may be any suitable means known to the art such as endless belts that move to pass through the sizing or coating fluid held in each of the housings 30 and 31. As the filaments 20 pass across the surface of the applicators 28 and 29, some of the fluid material on the applicators transfers to them.

The strands 22 and 23 collect as similar wound packages 34 and 35 on a winder 4t). Longitudinal rotary strand traversing means 42 moves the advancing strands 22 and 23 back and forth over the length of the packages as the strands wind on coaxially mounted collectors such as tubes 44 and 45, which have been telescoped over a mandrel or collet 47. The collet 47 is journaled for rotation on the winder 40. A motor 48 located'within the winder 40 appropriately rotates the collet 47 through a nonslipping belt 49. As illustrated the centerline of the container is in a vertical plane intersecting the horizontally extending collet 47 equidistant from the midlength of each of the packages 34 and 35.

The strand traversing means 42 includes means for rapidly traversing the strands at a zone spaced from but adjacent to the packages 34 and 35 (the collet 47) and further includes means for slowly reciprocating the traversing means 42.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 the apparatus slowly reciprocates the traversing means 42 by moving a longitudinal member such as a shaft 50, upon which mounts the means for rapidly traversing the strand. Drive means including a motor 52, which rotates the shaft 50, mounted within the winder 40 on a support 53 slideably engages a guideway 54 in a stationary mount 55 for reciprocal motion along the axis of rotation of the shaft 50. As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 suitable gearing driven by the motor52, which includes a worm gear 56 on the motor shaft 57 and a vertically mounted wheel gear 59, moves the support53 (the shaft 50). A bracket support 61 on the support 53 rotatably holds the wheel gear 59. A link 63 pivotally mounts at one end eccentrically on the vertically disposed wheel gear 59 and pivotally connects at its other end to the stationary mount 55 to form a crank arrangement that effects the reciprocatory movement of the shaft 50 through the support 53.

As the motor 52 runs, the rotation of the motor shaft 57 turns the wheel gear 59 through the worm gear 56, which meshes with the wheel gear 59. As eccentrically mounted link 63 moves with the rotating wheel gear 59, the link 63 functions to push and pull the support 53 back and forth in the stationary guideway 54 to reciprocate the shaft 50.

As shown two cam units or means 70 and 72 providing cam guide surfaces control the rapid traversing movement of the strands 23 and 22 respectively, such units being strand tension and strand alignment sensitive and carried on the shaft 50. As shown the cam means 70 includes a pair of substantially spirally shaped complementary cam members 74 and 75; the cam means 72 includes a pair of substantially spirally shaped complementary'cam members 76 and 77. The members of the cam means 70 and 72 may be made of brass wire or any suitable material capable of resisting the wearing action of the glass strands 22 and 23.

Referring particularly to FIG. 3, one may consider each of the cam members comprising the cam means 70 and 72 as including three portions, i.e. a longer leg portion, a main curved portion, and a shorter leg portion. For example the cam member 74 includes a longer leg portion 740, a curved portion 74b, and a shorter leg portion 740. Likewise, the member cam 75 includes a longer leg portion 75a, a curved portion 75b, and a shorter leg portion 75c; the cam member 76 includes a longer leg portion 76a; a curved portion 76b. and a shorter leg 'portion 76c; the cam member 77 includes a longer leg portion 77a, a curved portion 77b, and a shorter leg portion 770. The dimensions of the member 74 are the same as the member 75. The longer leg portions 74a and 75a have a dimension h and the shorter leg portions 74c and 750 have a dimension h. The longer leg portions 760 and 77a have a dimension H and the shorter leg portions 76c and 77c have a dimension H. The cam means 70 and 72 have a length dimension of l and L respectively and provide guide surfaces that are symmetrical in shape but extending from their common axis different distances.

Each member of the cam means 70 and 72 normally extends through slightly more than 180 of a convolution. Thus the inner or lower end, i.e. where the shorter leg portion intersects the shaft 50, of each member usually terminates inside (in an axial direction) the larger leg portion end of the complementary cam member and preferably is also overlapped by the larger leg portion end. Due to the relation of the ends of the cam members in the axial direction, a strand, e.g. strand 22 or 23, upon completion of a traverse stroke at the smaller leg end of each cam member is engaged by the larger leg end portion of the complementary cam member where the opposed ends of the cams are in overlapping relation. The engagement by the larger leg end portion occurs immediately upon completion of each traverse stroke of the traversing cycle. The contour of each curved portion of each cam member 70 and 72 follows substantially the form of a spiral inscribed on the surface of a cone forming a conical spiral and in engaging a strand, e.g. strands 22 and 23, it moves the strand back and forth lengthwise of the collet 47 to distribute the strand onto its package.

The cam means 70 and 72 rotate with the shaft 50. Any .tendency of the cam means 70 and 72 to build up the ends of the packages 34 and 35 due to a lagging of the strands 22 and 23 at either end of the rapid traversing stroke of the cam means 70 and 72 is overcome by the slower reciprocal motion that moves the shaft 50 along its axis to direct the strands 22 and 23 over a greater length of the collet 47. Such combination of motions produces packages that are substantially thicker at their central portions than at their end portions.

The gathering shoes 24 and 25 provide the strands 22 and 23 to the collecting tubes 44 and 45 respectively from separate spaced apart locations along individual paths having different relative dispositions with respect to their particular collectors and the common axis of the cam means 70 and 72. While the gathering shoes 24 and 25 lie in vertical planes on opposite sides of the container 10 bisecting the length of the collection tubes 44 and 45 (packages 34 and 35) respectively on the collet 47, the gathering shoe 25 is more remote from the collet 47, although at the same vertical height. Because of the location of the gathering shoe 25 with respect to the collet 47 and collectors 44 and 45, the distance from the gathering shoe 25 to the cam means 70 is greater than the distance of the gathering shoe 24 to the cam means 72 and the path of the strand 23, as more clearly indicated in FIG. 1, has greater length and a more gradual slope, i.e. a lesser slope, than the path and slope of the strand 22. Because of their individual path dispositions, the path of the strand 23 travels closer to the shaft 50 than the path of the strand 22..Thus, the paths of the strands 22 and 23 pass substantially transverse of the shaft50 in laterally spaced relationship at different perpendicular distances from the longitudinal axis of the shaft 50, also, the closest point of each strand path from the shaft 50 occurs ata small angular difference with respect to the shaft's axis.

Although the strand paths are spaced at different perpendicular distances from the longitudinal axis of the shaft 50, the laterally projecting cam means 70 and 72 extend to contact the strands 23 and 22 with substantially the same engagement throughout each traversing cycle. Such engagement induces substantially the same tension, due to traversing, in each strand, any differences in tension being so small as to treat the two tensions as equal. Location of the cam members or guide surfaces accounts for the identity of engagement by the cam I means 70 and 72 with their respective strands. As illustrated the arithmetic difference in dimensions of both Hh and H'-h' is equal to the difference in the perpendicular distances between the strands 22 and 23 and the shaft 50 (and its axis of rotation). The dimensions H and H place the main curved portions 76b and 77b in the same relative position with .the strand 22 as the main curved portions 74b and 75b Thus, the cam members 76 and 77 project laterally further from the shaft 50 than the cam members 74 and 75. Normally the difference in this lateral height or dimension is less than 2 inches, with from one-fourth to one-half of an inch normally sufficient.

While it would be possible to operate the invention where the lengths 1 and L of the traversing means 70 and 72 are different, it is preferred that their lengths, 1 and L be the same. Thus, as shown in FIG. 3, 1 equals L.

Because relative locations of apparatus may change, the lateral projecting or radial position of the curved portions of the cam means engaging the strands may vary. In each case, however, the dimensions H and H must be sufficient to move the curved portions of the cam members into a position engaging its strand with substantially the same engagement as the engagement of the cammeans having lesser height with its associated strand.

While the invention has been disclosed using only one type of strand tension and strand alignment sensitive traversing apparatus, it is possibleto practice the invention using other traversing means such as the traversing arrangement shown in the U.S. Pat. No. 3,109,602 to Smith.

Additionally the invention can be employed with a winder wherein the speed of the traversing shaft, e.g. shaft 50, and the collet, e.g. collet 47, are modulated either alone or together to reduce their speeds as the packages build to keep the diameter of the filaments substantially uniform. Further, the invention may be employed with the traversing means, e.g. cam means 70 and 72, located below the strand paths as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 or with the traversing means located above the strand paths.

lt is apparent that, within the scope of the invention, modifications and different arrangements may be made other than as herein disclosed. The present disclosure is merely illustrative, the invention comprehending all variations thereof.

I claim: i 1. Apparatus for simultaneously collecting linear material in similar side-by-side packages comprising:

coaxial side-by-side collection surfaces; common drive means for rotating the collection surfaces; rotary traversing means fordistributing linear material over each of the collection surfaces; means providing linear material to. each of the collection surfaces along paths spaced different distances from the axis of rotation of the traversing means, the traversing means having a contoured traverse guide surfaces for each of the linear materials, the guide surfaces being symmetrical in shape but extending from their common axis different distances such that each of the linear materials is distributed in their respective packages with substantially the same traversing cycle; and means for rotating the traversing means. 2. Apparatus for simultaneously forming at least two similar packages of linear material comprising:

at least two rotatable coaxial collectors for accumulating linear material as wound packages; drive means for rotating the collectors; longitudinal means for traversing linear material over the surface of the collectors to distribute the material onto their respective packages; and means for providing linear material to each of the collectors along individual paths from separate locations, the paths of the material spaced different perpendicular distances from the longitudinal axis of the traversing means, the traversing means including laterally projecting cam portions for each of the linear material extending to contact the material with substantially the same engagement throughout each traversing cycle. 3. Apparatus for collecting linear material comprising: at least two collectors rotatably mounted on the same axis for accumulating linear material as wound packages; means for rotating the collectors; traversing means including a longitudinal member rotatable about its longitudinal axis and individual cam means on the longitudinal member for each of the linear materials, the longitudinal axis nmning parallel to the axis of rotation of the collectors; means for rotating the longitudinal member; and means for supplying linear material to each of the collectors from spaced locations along separate paths running substantially transverse to the longitudinal member, each of the paths passing the longitudinal member in lateral spaced relation with a different perpendicular distance between it and the axis of rotation of the longitudinal member, each of the cam means projecting laterally of the longitudinal member with different lateral dimensions to individually engage the linear material to induce substantially the same tension in each of the linear materials as the cam means reciprocates the linear material over the surface of each of the collectors to distribute the material onto their respective packages 4. Apparatus recited in claim 3 further including means for reciprocating the longitudinal member along its axis of rotation.

5. Apparatus for collecting linear multifilament glass material comprising:

at least two collectors rotatably mounted on the same axis for accumulating linear multifilament glass material as wound packages;

means for rotating the collectors;

traversing means including a longitudinal member rotatable about its longitudinal axis and individual cam means on the longitudinal member for each of the linear multifilament glass material, the longitudinal axis running parallel to the axis of rotation of the collectors;

means for rotating the longitudinal member; and

means for supplyinglinear multifilament glass material to each of the collectors from spaced locations along separate paths running substantially transverse to the longitudinal member, each of the paths passing the longitudinal member in lateral spaced relation with a different perpendicular distance between it and the axis of rotation of the longitudinal member, each of the cam means projecting laterally of the longitudinal member with different lateral dimensions to individually engage the linear multifilament glass material to induce substantially the same tension in each of the linear multifilament glass materials as the cam means reciprocates the linear multifilament glass material over the surface of each of the collectors to distribute the material onto their respective packages.

6. Apparatus for simultaneously forming two similar wound packages of glass strand comprising:

means supplying streams of heat-softened glass for attenuation into continuous glass filaments;

means for gathering the filaments into two strands;

two collectors rotatably mounted on the same axis for attenuating the streams of glass and accumulating the strands into two wound packages;

means for rotating the collectors;

a rotatably mounted shaft adjacent to the collectors, the means for gathering the filaments giving each strand a path running substantially transverse to the shaft and passing the shaft in lateral spaced relation, one of the strands passing the shaft with a greater perpendicular distance than the other strand;

means for rotating the shaft; and

two cam means on the shaft rotating with it individually engaging the strands for distributing each of the advancing strands onto their respective packages, each of the cam means projecting radially of the shaft with different lateral heights, the differences in heights being equal to the difference in perpendicular distances between each of the strands and the shaft, each of the cam means moving its respective strand with substantially the same traversing engagement.

7. Apparatus recited in claim 6 wherein each of the cam means includes a pair of independent complementary cam members having a smaller end portion and a larger end por' tion with adjacent ends of the cams overlapping and spaced apart with the shorter end portion terminating within the larger end portion.

8. Apparatus for simultaneously forming two wound packages of glass strand comprising:

means for supplying streams of heat-softened glass for attenuation into continuous glass filaments;

a horizontal rotatable collet;

greater perpendicular distance between it and the shaft;

two pairs of independent complementary cam means on the shaft with adjacent ends of the cams overlapping and spaced apart withthe minor end of one cam terminating within the major end of the other, each of the cams projecting laterally of the shaft with different lateral dimensions to engage one of the strands and to reciprocate such strand lengthwise of the collet; and

means for rotating the shaft. 

